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Re: Draft / FA / Offseason Roster Moves (Merged)

Originally Posted by BcRaven

Try Tandon Doss (D. Thompson or Streeter) in 2013, then you'll find out what JJ is worth. He's at the top of his game, on a team he is well suited to, so I say "resign him!". He is an outstanding return man, and a dynamic #3 WR... what exactly are you looking for? ... Bc

You're absolutely right, but tough decisions need to be made with the salary cap in mind

Re: Draft / FA / Offseason Roster Moves (Merged)

Originally Posted by BcRaven

Try Tandon Doss (D. Thompson or Streeter) in 2013, then you'll find out what JJ is worth. He's at the top of his game, on a team he is well suited to, so I say "resign him!". He is an outstanding return man, and a dynamic #3 WR... what exactly are you looking for? ... Bc

You're absolutely right, but tough decisions need to be made with the salary cap in mind

Re: Draft / FA / Offseason Roster Moves (Merged)

Originally Posted by runrayrun27

To me Deonte Thompson is a cheaper Jacoby Jones. Yes we will lose that elite kick returner and I will be the first to identify him as one of our most valuable players, but it just isn't worth it to pay him that much. Thompson has a lot of upside and in the words of Oz...Next man up!

As of right now you think Jacoby is overpaid. What was he right after he signed with us? Grossly overpaid? I say thus far we've gotten our money's worth. He shouldn't be a candidate for the cut list but wouldn't be surprised if he was one for restructuring.

Re: Draft / FA / Offseason Roster Moves (Merged)

Originally Posted by jonboy79

And on Austin. Special talent. Short area quickness is off the charts. I'd trade up a short distance to secure him, he's that special, IMO. I'd also create a spot for him in this offense, you can always find a spot for tha tkind of talent.

I completely agree. If I was a GM of a team rebuilding or on the playoff bubble and my HC or OC recommended not drafting Austin b/c he/they didn't know how to use him, I'd fire their asses and hire someone who did know. Will Austin be more Eric Metcalf, Reggie Bush, Brian Westbrook or Jahvid Best? No clue...but notwithstanding the two elite LTs, Lotulelei, a QB or two and the teams destined to select them, leaving an elite athlete like Austin on the board makes little sense to me.

Ideally, you'd want to slot Austin, but assuming Boldin's return, Austin would only be in the slot in 4wide or empty sets. Still, that's okay there's value there. But I'd put him out wide too, opposite Torrey. That's instant pressure on your deep safeties, which might mean that no one is watching Ray Rice run a late releasing wheel route down the boundary. It also might mean that Boldin, Pitta (and Dickson, if he ever gets his isht together) own the seams.

I'd put Austin in an I set too--as the HB AND the FB. Show toss sweep action to the right, while Austin (in the FB position) counter steps, takes the handoff and runs left right off of KO's butt. Another look would be motioning Austin right-to-left from the slot, same toss sweep action right, handoff to Austin in full stride coming left. In both cases, the 5'8 Austin would be just about completely obscured (behind our LOS) from the eyes of both safeties and the ILB(s), the latter of whom are already beat.

A variation to those two plays...run them as play-actions and have Austin wheel down the boundary, run a backside post or score a sneaky block on a WR screen.
The only thing I wouldn't do with Austin is throw him 10 yard outs or comebacks, but that's about it.

Re: Draft / FA / Offseason Roster Moves (Merged)

I definitely want to upgrade the receiving corp. That being said we don't know what we really have on the roster currently. We don't know how Streeter, Thompson, Doss and Williams are going to perform in Caldwell's offense. With Cam they had little opportunity to make an impact. With Cam we spend most of the time in two wr sets where Boldin and T Smith were the primary receivers. If Caldwell opens up the offense and uses more underneath stuff we may already have some good wrs on the roster. This has been an offense that has held back QBs and wrs.